Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty has defended actor Richard Gere after his public show of affection sparked protests in India. The Chicago star swept the popular actress into his arms and kissed her several times during an AIDS-awareness event last weekend. The action has outraged Indians, who feel Gere went too far in a country where such public displays of affection are largely taboo. Angry crowds burned effigies of Gere during demonstrations last Monday after photographs of him embracing and kissing Shetty appeared on the front pages of India's leading national newspapers. But Shetty has defended Gere, saying, "What he did was very sweet. It was all in good humor. He especially told me to tell the media that he didn't want to hurt any Indian sensibilities." And she admits the actor has apologized "profusely" to her following the kiss.

Madonna has found an army of unlikely allies as she attempts to avoid the media on a trip back to her adopted baby David's hometown in Malawi - local teenagers. The students hurled stones at international journalists attempting to cover Madonna's visit to Mchinji yesterday morning - in a bid to keep them from ruining a meeting between the pop star and her adopted son's biological father. The teens from the nearby Mchinji Home Of Hope orphanage formed a protective ring around the building where Madonna met with Yohane Banda, and they threw stones at anyone who attempted to get close to the compound. The Home Of Hope orphanage is the place where Madonna first spotted David, who had been placed there by his father after his mother died. Madonna, who was also joined on her trip back to Africa by daughter Lourdes, is paying for a new clinic to be built in the village of Gumulira and is supporting efforts by aid groups to help improve food security and education in Malawi.

American Idol winner Carrie Underwood was the big winner at the Country Music Television (CMT) Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee on Monday, taking home three trophies. The blonde singer picked up Video Of The Year, Female Video Of The Year and Video Director Of The Year for the song "Before He Cheats." Renee Zellweger's ex-husband Kenny Chesney was named Male Video Of The Year for "You Save Me," while country trio Rascal Flatts accepted Group Video Of The Year for "What Hurts The Most." Other winners on the night included Jack Ingram with the Wide Open Country Award, Taylor Swift with Breakthrough Video Of The Year and Sugarland for Duo Video Of The Year. Meanwhile, singer/actor Kris Kristofferson was honored with the Johnny Cash Visionary Award for his contribution to country music. The ceremony was hosted by comedian Jeff Foxworthy, who paid tribute to the victims of Monday's college massacre in Blacksburg, Virginia, which left 33 people dead.

Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz have been accused of causing the $80 million budget for action film Sahara to double because of their vanity. The claims appear in legal documents released as part of a bitter court battle between Crusader Entertainment boss Philip Anschutz and Clive Cussler, author of Sahara. Cussler is currently suing Crusader, claiming it reneged on an agreement to give him creative control of the movie adaptation. The leaked document, obtained by the Los Angeles Times, shows $420,000 was spent on the movie's leading actors, including $105,000 on bottled water and $54,000 on a "facial disease specialist." Other expenses for the 2005 movie - which recorded losses of $105 million - included filming the $2 million crash of a vintage airplane in a 46-second sequence which never made it into the final cut.

Outspoken Grey's Anatomy star Isaiah Washington is set for more controversy when he plays a sexually abused Catholic priest in a new independent movie. The actor, who hit the headlines when he outed Grey's Anatomy co-star T.R. Knight last year during an on-set fight, is to take a leading role in new drama The Least Of These. He'll play a priest returning to the Catholic high school where he once was sexually abused, according to trade paper The Hollywood Reporter. His character replaces a missing teacher who molested several teenage boys and might have been killed by one of them.

Funnyman Chris Rock is getting serious about charges he fathered a journalist's teenage son - he has filed papers in Georgia in response to her claims. Kali Bowyer took her story to the US tabloids last month, alleging her 13-year-old son Jordan is the result of a romance she had with the comedian in the early 1990s. Bowyer is asking Rock to take a DNA test because she thinks his genetic history will help doctors determine why her son suffers from seizures. The journalist, 35, went to the tabloids after 10 years of appealing to Rock fell on deaf ears - and it looks like her latest actions have done the trick. The 42-year-old comic, who has two children with his wife Malaak Compton, is not only going to take a DNA test to establish paternity, but has also filed papers to establish child support and visitation rights if he's found to be the teen's father, according to US news show Entertainment Tonight.

Teri Hatcher knows how to have fun when someone else is getting married - after winning a toilet paper gown contest at Eva Longoria's wedding shower at the weekend, the Desperate Housewives co-star hosted her own bridal bash for her co-star on Monday. Hatcher opened her Hollywood home up to Longoria and cast and crew from Desperate Housewives and came up with her own fun party game. Guests were handed a garter belt as they arrived, but they had to give up the sexy item if they mentioned taboo words relating to Longoria's French wedding or her groom-to-be Tony Parker. People magazine reports guests had to forfeit the garter if they uttered the words "Tony", "Paris", or "dress" during the evening. Longoria will wed basketball star Parker outside Paris on July 7.

Publicists for Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart have fired back at stories suggesting the Hollywood couple is planning to wed. Representatives for Flockhart and Ford are denying a report the couple is engaged. Europe's Grazia magazine reported that Ford proposed on April 1. Flockhart's publicist says, "They are not engaged," while a representative for Ford adds, "It's not true." But Grazia is standing by its story, claiming Ford asked Flockhart's adopted six-year-old son Liam help with the proposal. A source told the magazine, "He coached Liam to run up to Calista and give her a rehearsed message - 'Mr. Ford is going to be my daddy.' Calista just laughed but it was no joke. Harrison then told her he wanted to marry her. She's thrilled about the proposal and so is Liam." Ford and Flockhart have been dating for five years.

Pop superstar Britney Spears is facing legal action after reportedly sacking her long term manager Larry Rudolph last Friday. The singer was last week said to be "miffed" at Rudolph for forcing her to seek professional help for her troubles, which resulted in Spears checking into a rehabilitation clinic in California in February. The 25-year-old was also seen mocking her manager's decision to send her to rehab in a bizarre video rant which was posted on the internet at the weekend. But now Spears could end up in court for reneging on the deal she had previously signed with Rudolph, according to PageSix. The pop star's PR aide Leslie Sloane Zelnik was unaware of Rudolph's status when contacted early this morning.

Veteran actor Rip Torn has pleaded guilty to drunk driving charges. The Men In Black star, who beat similar charges in 2004, accepted he was driving while impaired when his car hit a tractor-trailer in North Salem, New York in December. He was fined $380 in court on Monday and forced to give up his driver's license for 90 days.